Any parent would have to sign a parental consent form for different reasons. For instance, if you need to sign this form because your child needs to go on a field trip, it should contain the following information:

  • The details of the trip
  • The places that the children will visit
  • The objective of the trip in terms of their learning
  • Any risks and safety procedures set by the school

This consent form is one form of communication that schools, institutions, and more have with the parents of children. When writing such a form, you have to:

  • Keep the sentences and the paragraphs clear and concise
  • Present the concepts and terms simply
  • Provide technical information in non-technical ways

Parental Consent Forms

Also, make sure that all the information presented is completely accurate. It should be visually appealing with a clear layout, clear and easy to read fonts, and white-space borders.

When is a parental consent form needed?

Parental involvement laws which are also known as parental consent laws state that one or more parents should give consent before a minor can engage in activities legally. A parental consent form or a parental consent letter may refer to:

  • The right of a parent to get informed or give consent before his/her child undergoes any type of medical treatment.
  • The right of a parent to give consent before his/her child undergoes any type of body modification procedure such as tattooing or piercing.
  • The right of a parent to give consent before his/her child gets married to someone when he/she hasn’t reached the marriageable age.
  • The right of a parent to get involved in the education of his/her child including his/her right to disapprove or approve of curricula, field trips or extracurricular activities.

Child Travel Consent Forms

The most common types of parental consent forms

In the US, children don’t normally need to have a child travel consent form for them to travel. Children below 18 years old who travel within the country don’t even require identification even when they go through airport security before their flight. For teenagers who look older than 18 years, they may need to carry an ID with their photo just in case they’re asked for it while going through airport security. There are many types of parental consent forms and here are the most common:

Passport parental consent form

When you apply for your child’s passport in the US, all children aged 16 and below, need consent from both of their living parents. If one parent isn’t available at the application process, then you need to have this type of consent form which you can download from the website of the Department of State.

Download the form, print it out, and follow the instructions on how to accomplish it. Sign the document in front of a notary public who will notarize the document too. Upon notarization, you have 90 days to submit the form and apply for your child’s passport.

Aside from this form, you have to attach a number of other official documents which will prove your relationship to your child. To learn about all the documents, you need for the application, check the website for a detailed list and guidelines. After filling out and signing the form, submit it along with all the other attachments to any acceptance facility such as the US Embassy, the US Passport Agency or the US Consulate.

Child travel consent form

If you plan to travel with your child out of the country and without your spouse, you need to have this type of consent form. They’re very strict with this form because of the increase in child abduction cases, especially when it comes to custody battles.

Also, this is an important form to avoid the risk of children becoming victims of human trafficking. If a child under the age of 18 travels out of the country on his own, with just one of his parents or with adults who aren’t his parents, the immigration officers at will ask for this consent form.

When traveling abroad, children will also need passports no matter how young they are. Therefore, you should have already processed and received your child’s passport even before you travel. But when traveling without both parents, a child should have a minor travel consent form which contains the following information:

  • The full name, birthplace, and passport information of the minor.
  • The permission and contact information of the parent who isn’t traveling with the child.
  • Any relevant information about the parent or guardian traveling with the child including the name, the passport details, and the custody information.
  • The travel information such as the country of origin, the destination, and the travel dates. Keep in mind that the consent form is only valid for one trip. Therefore, it would only contain information about that particular trip.
  • Any special needs or allergies that the child may have.
  • The signature of the parent who isn’t traveling with the child.

Also, keep in mind that different countries may have varying rules when it comes to a minor traveling without both of his/her parents. Therefore, you should check your own country’s rules and guidelines first before planning a trip.

School parental consent form

There are some inherent risks that come with children participating in extracurricular activities in school. This is one of the most common types of parental consent forms available, especially when your child starts going to school. Before you allow your child to participate in any activity, especially if they need to take a trip outside of the school premises, you may have to sign such a form to grant permission to your child.

The form would state that your child will participate in the specific activity under the supervision of the school personnel and your child’s teacher. It should contain the following information:

  • The name of your child
  • The name of your child’s class
  • The name of your child’s teacher
  • The e-mail address of the parent
  • The phone number/s of the parent
  • Any additional contact number/s
  • Any special instructions pertaining to the child
  • The parental consent
  • The signature of the parent

Child medical consent form

There are special circumstances where you need a medical consent form for minor while parents are away. This is especially true if the child travels without his parents or his legal guardians. This form gives the chaperone the authority to make any relevant medical decisions. The medical consent form for minor while parents are away grants a temporary medical power of attorney to the adult in charge of the child if there is any medical emergency. This document should include this information:

  • The full name of the child
  • The birthplace of the child
  • Any authorized medical treatments
  • The child’s health information
  • The name of the adult given the responsibility of making the medical decisions
  • The child’s health insurance information

Minor Travel Consent Forms

Different types of informed consent

Apart from written parental consent forms, there is also something known as “informed consent.” This is typically used in cases where a child would participate in some research activity. Let’s take a look at the different types:

Minor assent

To qualify for this, the child must be between the ages of 7-17 years old. However, this isn’t needed for children 6 years old and below. For this type, you can give:

  • Standard assent (written)
  • Oral assent
  • Verbal assent (a waiver of documentation)
  • An information sheet of the participant

Permission from a parent or a legal guardian

To qualify for this, the child must be below 18 years of age and is part of a study. For this type of permission, you can give:

  • Standard permission (written)
  • Oral permission
  • Short-form consent (written)
  • Verbal permission (a waiver of documentation)
  • An information sheet of the participant

Adult consent

To qualify for this, the adult should be 18 years old and above and is part of a study. For this type of permission, you can give:

  • Standard consent (written)
    Since an adult would give this consent, he should have full autonomy, literacy, have full capacity, and feel comfortable with signing the form.
  • Oral consent
    For this type of consent, the adult should have diminished authority, no literacy, and should hear all the contents of the statement in the presence of a witness, and feel comfortable with signing the form.
  • Short form consent (written)
    This is a statement claiming that the participant heard and understood the consent script. The participant and a witness should affix their signatures on this form.
  • Verbal consent (a waiver of documentation)
    This type of consent must have the appropriate criteria before it can get validated. The person obtaining the consent would sign the form after reading it to the participant in the presence of a witness.
  • An information sheet of the participant
    This is a short statement that describes the research along with the contact information of the IRB and the PI.

Parental Consent Letters

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TemplateLab April 29th, 2021